USTR seeks public comment on promoting supply chain resilience

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today published a notice in the Federal Register seeking input to inform the development of trade and investment policy initiatives that promote supply chain resilience.

In outlining a new trade policy vision promoting resilience, the notice explains that resilient supply chains provide a range of sourcing options; adapt, rebound, and recover with agility following shocks; uphold labor rights and environmental protections; and strengthen the U.S. manufacturing base and workforce. To help achieve these objectives, the notice seeks information on developing sector-specific policy tools, strengthening domestic manufacturing and services, collaborating with like-minded trading partners and allies, and measuring resilience, among other topics.

“As President Biden emphasized during a recent meeting of the White House Competition Council, the pandemic disrupted supply chains, which drove up costs on everyday goods for hardworking Americans. This is why a centerpiece of our work at USTR is developing innovative trade tools and strategies for connecting trade and other economic policy measures to advance supply chain resilience, while also reevaluating earlier policy approaches that prioritized efficiency to the exclusion of resilience,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “This request for public input will enable us to draw upon the perspectives and experiences of stakeholders and partners that we need in order to foster a more granular understanding of supply chain challenges across a range of sectors, and identify potential policy solutions.”

Written comments responding to the notice are due by April 22.

USTR will hold a public hearing beginning May 2, and requests to testify at the hearing are due by April 12. The information collected through written comments and at the hearing will support USTR’s work within the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience.